Seeding and soil preparation?

cjtinkle · Sep 12, 2013

My husband and I are in the process of putting a quarter mile stretch of road in along with having about 1/4 mile stretch of run off creek cleaned up, it had been overgrown for years. We just had a dozer in to clear it, and now it along with the road need to be smoothed up and seeded.

This is a section of the run off creek. Do we need to smooth this out more before seeding it? We have a box blade and a ratchet rake. The recommendation was to seed it with rye and winter wheat. We'll also need to pick up a seed spreader. We have an ATV which I think might be easier to use than the tractor for that? Recommendations and advice would be most welcome!

We had the dozer guy taper the run off creek more so that we'll be able to brush hog it. I'll add pictures of the road area to be seeded when I get back from the land this morning.

paulharvey · Sep 12, 2013

Personally I think there look to be isolated areas that could use some hand raking before you seed and mulch. Typically if you have irregularities of +/-1" I would hit them with a rake. Isn't to early to start a rye/winter wheat mix, where I am we would use a brown top millet or pearl millet with some bahia to take after the freezes.

DJ54 · Sep 12, 2013

A 4' to 6' section of chainlink fence makes a great drag to smooth up areas like this. A 4 X 4 or section of pipe across the front & back to tow with, and hold it down. Easily pulled with your ATV. If need be, you can then touch up by hand.

jeff9366 · Sep 12, 2013

I second DJ54's recommendation.

Rye and Winter Wheat need a THIN covering.

I am only marginally familiar with the Ozarks. However, I suggest you add native prairie grass to the Rye and Wheat mix if this is to be a one time seeding event.

Good luck on this worthwhile project.

cjtinkle · Sep 12, 2013

Thanks guys, I appreciate it!

1bush2hog · Sep 12, 2013

I just finished seeding the banks on some new roads I am putting in and used rye grain, winter wheat, oats, creeping red fescue, and red clover. The tracks should hold the seed in. All we did was run over the ground after we seeded it with 4 wheeler, where we could, to give the seed better ground contact, and we have a pretty good stand coming on. We have had lots of rain too.

You may want to mix in some other seed with that rye and wheat so you have a stand of grass after the rye and wheat die back.

Here is a pic of the seeded area after a week - the road now has gravel on it

BeezFun · Sep 12, 2013

I've found that for seeding our pasture it's cheaper to hire a guy with a planting drill and have him supply the seed. By the time I paid for small quantities of seed and fiddled around, it wasn't much more expensive to have him do it. Also guarantees all the seed gets good soil contact, isn't eaten by the birds, and doesn't wash away. If you're going to broadcast the seed, one thing I've found that helps is to wait for the first snow and do it then. The snow hides the seed and most of the birds are gone, so you don't have that loss, and the seed will pop up first thing in the spring and have plenty of moisture to get a hold. Maybe you don't have snow down there...

DaveOmak · Sep 12, 2013

I have used this type harrow to smooth the ground and cover seed.... run it over the ground, throw the seed, I use a hand crank seeder, run the harrow over it to cover the seed and water...... I have planted 2 alfalfa fields using this method....... here's one .....